A parade of machines that drive the local mining industry will roll into the main street of Queenstown on Friday night to signal the opening of The Unconformity Festival.

‘The Rumble’ is the opening ceremony for the three-day festival and it promises to be loud and rugged, with those in attendance being encouraged to wear earplugs.

Festival director Travis Tiddy listed The Rumble as one of a number of likely highlights for the weekend, along with the premiere of a theatre performance from the Mudlark Theatre, based on life in Queenstown in the 1980s, and the ‘Grand Finale’, which is a game of football on the iconic gravel oval.

The Unconformity is centred on Queenstown and this years’ festival will be the fourth time it has been held.

Mr Tiddy is a fifth generation West Coaster, who was the inaugural director of the event eight years ago.

He said there was a lot of buzz about Queenstown, for what was shaping up to be their biggest festival yet.

“It’s more complex, more ambitious, it’s our greatest undertaking, but were all pretty excited by how it’s tracking and where it’s going,” Mr Tiddy said.

“We’ve also made a shift from being predominantly a visual arts festival, to embracing a lot of performing arts.”

“Queenstown still is searching for something of a new identity and a diversified economy following a downturn in the local mining sector, so this event is important in not only drawing people to the region and giving the town an economic boost, but sort of causing a creative discussion on possibilities and the future for the region.”

Mr Tiddy said thousands of people were expected to come from across Tasmania, interstate and overseas for the event.

He said the level of interest had seen Queenstown’s accommodation fully booked out a month before the festival.

The overflow has seen a number of people look to other towns for accommodation, which Mr Tiddy said would benefit the whole West Coast.

“There’s only 5000 people or less on the West Coast, so we think it’s important that our activities have a benefit for the entire region and can bring the entire region together,” he said.

Events start on Friday morning, leading up to the opening ceremony at 8pm.

The football game, which will see the west take on the rest for The Unconformity Cup is scheduled for 12pm on Sunday and has been organised to bring everyone together in one spot before the end of the festival. There are five ticketed events, but 75 per cent of the festival is free. A full event program is available online.